“All for Dentistry” campaign in Covid-19 times

An initiative for oral health in Covid-19 times

Large companies, professional associations, associations, and prominent dental professionals join forces to create an information and education service for dentists. The main objective is to disseminate guidelines and recommendations regarding dental care during quarantine and the prevention period that has not yet a certain date to end.

This is the All for Dentistry campaign, which reinforces the importance of mouth health at a time of high risk of contamination by Covid-19 and provides guidance to professionals and patients on the necessary safety measures for care, in addition to providing information that collaborates with the critical economic and administrative moment.

Oral health is a fundamental part of the health of the body and can be the difference in the success of treatments for many diseases. Being up to date with oral health is essential to face this moment of uncertainty and health risks.

"As health professionals, it is up to dentists to ensure the health of their patients through the exercise of their profession," says Dr. Wilson Chediek, president of the Paulista Association of Dental Surgeons (APCD). “At this time of pandemic, it is mainly our responsibility to guide patients about the needs and care of oral health and related diseases. This campaign will reinforce knowledge and bring information to professionals and their patients, in addition to emphasizing that dental professionals are able to safely perform all the necessary procedures during the service”, he adds.

The All for Dentistry campaign is expected to last six months. It is an initiative of ABIMO, with the realization of the APCD. The first stage of the All for Dentistry campaign will focus on biosafety. Soon, a news portal will be launched with everything dentists need to know to ensure their safety and that of their patients. The portal will also take information on claims and tools that assist in business strategy so that dental offices continue to function in the face of so many economic challenges.

Dental surgeons have always worked with personal protective equipment (PPE) and biosafety protocols, for their own protection and to protect their patients. It is part of the routine of the dentist to work with a mask, glasses, gloves and cap, and always sanitize surfaces and instruments between one patient and the other. However, in the pandemic scenario, care was intensified due to the speed and the greater risk of contamination of the new virus.

In dental care that requires the use of aerosolized equipment, such as high speed, ultrasound and a triple syringe in the form of mist, the risks of contamination are greater. For this reason, strict biosafety protocols in their daily lives have been expanded and intensified following guidelines from national and international health agencies.

Strict safety protocols are being established to mitigate contamination risks, from the moment of the appointment, from the anamnesis with the patient, from the arrival in the waiting room, until when he is referred to the dentist's team, from the service to the dentist. post-service.

These protocols involve the use of clothing and personal protective equipment (PPE) suitable for the dental surgeon, assistant, patient,and secretary, spacing between appointments and adequate time to sterilize, sanitize, disinfect and clean the environments where care is provided. dentistry was performed.

Care during the pandemic

Another relevant point is the availability of PPE. Today, we find difficulties not only for dentistry, but for health in general, and globally, due to the critical moment of the pandemic. So, we need to have common sense and balance when making dental care decisions. Therefore, everything must be evaluated by the dentist. Only he can define the services that must be performed at this time and recommend all security protocols.

One question that may arise is when to go to the dentist during the pandemic period. Dr. Wilson Chediek explains that the ideal is, first, to focus on prevention. “We cannot wait to get sick to seek treatment, so we must always remember health begins with the mouth. The recommended thing is to see the dentist every six months or at most in one year, and keep your oral health up to date”, he says.

During the pandemic, the dental surgeon must guide the patient on the best solution for care. Dr. Chediek, however, emphasizes that on the day of the consultation, before leaving home, the patient must be aware of his health status, and if he has any suspicious symptoms, he should inform the professional. That is, it is important that the patient and the dentist establish this pre-service contact. And in the office, the anamnesis indicated should be done.

Biosafety begins before the consultation, dentist and patient talk to know if there are symptoms of flu, cold or fever and to decide whether to go to dental care. If you go to the dentist, the patient must take all the precautions on the way and, as soon as he arrives at the office, wash his hands, and perform oral hygiene, using mouthwash.

The campaign

 Much information on biosafety will be widely reported on the portal of the All for Dentistry project. Essential materials for the professional, for the patient and a lot of knowledge about how important it is to keep oral health up to date to face this health risk to which everyone is exposed. Up-to-date oral health can be the big difference in a patient's recovery.

In addition to expanding the biosafety criteria, the campaign will address issues about strategies and important tools in the administration of the dental office, which help the dental surgeon to go through the economic challenges of this moment, with an increase in the cost of dental care, reducing the number of consultations , the need for new devices that mitigate the risk of contamination and the new form of dental care that is emerging with the pandemic.

Many lawsuits are in progress to obtain economic support, credit lines and postponement of taxes, among others. All for Dentistry will be a milestone in Brazilian dentistry.

Source: ABIMO – Associação Brasileira de Indústria de Artigos e Equipamentos Médicos, Odontológicos, Hospitalares e de Laboratórios. Available at: https://abimo.org.br/noticias/campanha-todos-pela-odontologia/?__dPosclick=PIQaX.4E.be67. Access on: 06/02/2020.